Russia has abandoned the Black Sea Deal that United Nations and Turkey brokered five months after the war started in 2022. Ukraine is the biggest producer of oilseeds and grains in the world, and exports are being prevented due to the outbreak of war between Russia and Ukraine.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres considered the Black Sea Deal initiative a beacon of hope when they initiated it in the signing ceremony in Istanbul on 27 July 2022.
In the initiative, 3 key Ukrainian ports, Chorbomorsk, Pivdennyi, and Odesa, in the Black Sea, were allowed to export fertilizers, including ammonia and commercial food. This initiative has the power to stave off global famine. However, Russia just announced that they are backing out of the deal.
Russia targeted Odesa, Ukraine, with missiles and drones before dawn on Tuesday, a day after an apparent Ukrainian strike damaged an important Russian bridge and the Kremlin halted a deal for safe passage of grain ships on the Black Sea. https://t.co/37sOoQWNhd
— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 19, 2023
Poland has entered the crisis and announced to help Ukraine by allowing safe passage across the country. The agriculture minister of Poland, Robert Telus, said that the European Union must be ready to help, especially now that Russia is using “grain as ammunition”!
Warsaw was ready to take a step forward to improve transit. However, they have highlighted that the infrastructure needs to change, and the EU must be involved. On Tuesday, EU officials are trying to find the use for the solidarity lanes, rail links, and road links across Ukraine.
⚡️Turkey, Russia, UN chief, hold talks on grain deal termination.
Talks between Hakan Fidan, Sergei Lavrov, and António Guterres on Moscow's exit from the Black Sea Grain Initiative were held by phone on July 18, according to Turkish diplomatic sources cited by Anadolu Agency. pic.twitter.com/fePG6MNnhP
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) July 18, 2023
The exports of food grains are guided by Ukrainian vessels across the Black Sea, and it is important because the grains play a direct role in the world’s food production and supply. Almost 2.2% of the supplies are shipped worldwide through the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) corridors.
The global food supply gap has increased the price of staple food such as pasta and bread. This situation is being handled by other grain producers, such as Brazil, as their grain supplies have considerably increased. The issue remains as rh production of corn has gone down by 23%.
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